Little Lights in the Darkness
by Ragashingo
Summary: Not all Legends have a heroic beginning. Natela Tamaya Murk started as a street rat! (1/3 in a series)
1. Found

**Found.**

In the dark, nighttime shadows of The City, close to the outer wall, far from the skyscrapers and lights centered beneath The Traveler, something hastened across the dimly lit streets. And then another something. Then a third and fourth and fifth and sixth and finally, a smaller seventh. The shadowy figures, a group of darkly dressed children, teenagers to be more exact, darted from shadow to shadow on their way to their destination. They moved with speed and purpose, and, judging by the unlit locations they stopped at along the way, they meant not to be seen.

The small gang grouped together in an alleyway just out of view of their ultimate destination: a small bakery serving Ghetty Prime, one of the distant slums farthest from the Traveler's light. After making sure they were all accounted for, the kids spread out and encircled their target. Some skirted right past it checking for threats, while others scouted more than a block away, on the lookout for trouble, before eventually returning to the alley for final instructions.

"There's a security bot patrolling one street over," Dustan, one of the larger boys, whispered to the rest of the gang.

"We can deal with that," another replied. "As long as _Nate-la_ can get inside," he continued, sounding out the name of the gang's defacto leader.

The thin seventeen year old girl opposite him brushed her stringy, brown, shoulder length hair out of her eyes and grinned. "You deal with that bot, Roy, and I'll deal with the break in," she told him confidently. "Now get moving."

"You heard her boys, let's go," Roy commanded the rest of the gang, a second, slightly younger girl included.

"Be careful, Luminita," Natela called out softly to her sister. The younger girl nodded and then was gone.

The gang moved out of the alley in ones and twos, trouble gleaming in each of their eyes. Natela counted to sixty then got to work. She had cased their latest target herself earlier in the week, but she still moved with caution as she approached the bakery's back door. Still no cameras. Still no motion detectors. Still no lights. It was exactly the same as she'd left it. Then, instead of darting over to the door, or creeping to it sneakily, Natela made a show for anyone who might be watching. Leaving the shadows, she walked angrily down the street, splashed her foot in a convenient puddle as if she didn't know it was there, and finally plopped down with her back against the bakery's faux brick wall. To the casual observer or observation device she would seem like nothing more than a dejected teen, out too late, with troubles on her mind. She sold her lie, whether it was necessary or not, by banging her head back against the wall. It hurt some, but more importantly it gave her a good reason to look up and check for any last security devices she might have missed. There were none. A few seconds later a siren sounded in the distance, opposite the bakery. That was her cue.

"'Atta boy, Roy," Natela said to herself as she stood and inspected the bakery's back door. A quick turn of the handle proved it to be locked. _'Good for them,'_ she though. Without a moment's hesitation she drew a large beat up knife from the torn sheath connected to her belt. The knife was in terrible condition. Its blade was chipped, part of its rubberized grip had long given way, but it was hers, and it was all she really needed for this job or any other. First, she tried sliding it between the door and handle. A cheap lock would give easily when faced with such a simple trick. This one held firm, but no matter. Natela withdrew the knife and then did something… different. With a flick of her wrist, the polysteel blade flared white hot and illuminated its immediate surroundings with tiny arcs of lightning-esque electricity. Smiling, Natela tried again. This time her knife sliced through the locking bolt smooth and clean, as if the steel pin had been made of nothing but butter.

With the lock defeated, Natela sprung into action. There was no telling what kind of alarms might have been triggered or who might be inside. Throwing open the door, she let her knife light her way as she dashed through the bakery's back rooms, past ovens and cooking sheets. She sheathed her knife once she emerged into the front room, and, with surprising strength for her seemingly malnourished frame, hefted the antique _looking_ register into the ragged sack she'd brought with her. Her eyes widened as she saw some left over bread left in the display case in front of her. She hurriedly stuffed her mouth full of baked goods before darting back the way she'd come. For several tense minutes Natela walked briskly away from the scene of her crime, checking behind herself repeatedly as she crossed street after street, traveling in seemingly random directions in case anyone was following her. Finally, when she was sure she was alone, she headed back towards The City's outer wall. Back to the place where the rest of the gang would be waiting.

"One thousand two hundred and eighty credits total," Natela told the others after she finished downloading their loot from the antique _styled_ payment terminal into her modified phone. "That's three hundred twenty for me for me, and one hundred sixty for the each of you."

Luminita and two of the others held out their own phones, eager to be paid for their night's work. Roy and his two friends, however, did not. With a knowing glance between themselves they stood as one and advanced on Natela.

"Me and the boys were thinking we should do things differently, this time," Roy said slowly. "We've been thinking, why is it you always get the double share? We were thinking, why don't we…" he glanced warily at the three members of the gang still sitting, "…split it evenly this time."

Natela chuckled. "This again Roy?" she asked. "We've been through this before. I get double because I do most of the work."

"Seemed like we were the ones risking our necks, giving you your distraction. That seemed like half the work to us. We think an even split would be… more than fair. And, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist on it this time." Roy rotated a length of pipe in his hand as he finished speaking so everyone could see it. A pair of gasps came from two of the still seated gang members, but Natela remained unfazed. With a well practiced movement she suddenly held her bright, blazing knife in her right hand making it clear to all as to who held the better weapon.

"We've been through this too," she said calmly. "Just take another step closer if you feel like losing a second finger," she threatened, sure of herself.

"You're right, we have," Roy replied. Natela followed his sudden glance to her right, but not even she was quick enough to avoid the makeshift pepper spray Dustan directed at her face. Her left hand automatically flew to her eyes in a desperate, frantic attempt to wipe them clear. She yelled and cursed, but a second later she had to pull in her next breath. The burning pain that had blinded her immediately spread down into her throat and lungs, and with that her fight for dominance was over. Natela dropped her suddenly dormant knife to the ground and doubled over on her hands and knees as she coughed and choked on the intensely irritating spray. Roy watched with a smug look on his face as his two accomplices dragged their former leader out of the street and held her up against a nearby wall.

"Stop it, you're hurting her!" Luminita screamed, but the three boys ignored her.

Confident that Natela was securely pinned, Roy advanced on her and was about to strike her with the length of pipe when a bright light illuminated the entire gang.

"Halt, Guardian," a nearly monotone, clearly artificial voice called out. For a long second nobody moved, and then everyone did, Roy included. They scattered every which way in the hopes that one of the others would be followed. Only Luminita risked a glance back before she too disappeared around a corner. Alone and unable to see much less run, Natela slid to a sitting position low against the wall as she did her best to control her pained breathing.

"Do you require a medic?" The oddly calm, almost detached voice asked her.

"No," she replied in between coughs. "They were… they were trying to rob me…" she said, wisely not mentioning that she had just finished playing the part of the robber.

"Hmm, I'm not surprised. You'll have to learn to keep better company, Guardian. Well, maybe not. But you should at least consider it."

"Guardian?" Natela asked as she continued wiping at her face and eyes. It was starting to work. Soon she was able to squint her eyes open wide enough to see who had saved her. What she saw would have made her jump back in shock if she hadn't already been pressed up against the wall. In front of her was not some oddly voice patrol bot or a flesh and blood member of law enforcement, but the strange, small, angular, _floating_ shape of a Ghost. She'd seen them in vids and heard about them all her life, but to have one so close to her, and have it speaking to her… To say she was startled would have been a vast understatement. "I think you've got the wrong girl…" she protested weakly.

"No. I don't," the Ghost said in return. "You are Natela Tamaya Murk, one of the 'little lights in the darkness.' I'm curious, do you think your parents knew you were destined to become a legend when they named you?"

"My parents are dead," Natela answered bitterly, "and legend nothing. The only thing I'm becoming is _out of here_," she said.

"You'll need to try harder than that," her Ghost replied as she shakily pulled herself around the corner. It hovered in place for a moment, looking on with amusement at her less than rapid departure. "We can do this one of two ways," the Ghost said as it effortlessly moved to block her slow, clumsy exodus. "Either you come now with me, or I flood this sector with law enforcement. I think you'll find I know a thing or two about The City's security protocols."

"Come with you… and become a Guardian?" Natela asked incredulously.

"Correct."

"Right, that's how that works?" she laughed. "Do you always pick starving thieves living in the slums?"

"Not typically. More often we select from among the heroes of your past… but your natural talent was too good to pass up."

"Well… uh…" Natela said, searching for an excuse, "I can't leave without my sister. She gets sick and there would be no one else to care for her."

"I fully expected you to bring her along."

"Bring? I don't even know where's she's gone!"

"I do," her Ghost replied. It flexed its angular plates in such a way that might, maybe, indicate a knowing smile. Natela turned to follow its gaze and there, peeking around the corner, was her thirteen year old sister.

"You were supposed to run!" Natela tried to say, but her inflamed throat couldn't yet support her angered tone.

"I was scared," Luminita offered softly.

"I was too…" Natela admitted. She held open her arms and in an instant Luminita was in them, burying her tears on her big sister's shoulder. "If I went with you she would be taken care of?" Natela asked the floating intelligence.

"Of course. As would you," it replied.

Natela bristled. "I can take care of myself!" she complained, before descending into another painful coughing fit. The Ghost just stared at her, not even bothering to speak. "Most of the time…" Natela conceded as she recovered. She stroked her sister's head for a few moments before making a decision. "All right" she said, "but I'm doing this for her… not for that," she gestured to The Traveler, "or to become your legend."

"Understood," her Ghost said in reply. "If you two will follow me, I already have transport waiting for you." The two sisters helped each other off the ground and began to follow. They didn't make it more than a block before Natela froze and urgently turned to look back down the street.

"Right here," her Ghost told her before she even had the chance to ask. She marveled as her old knife rewove itself out of bright motes of light right before her eyes. She grasped it out of the air and was further surprised to feel its unfamiliar heft and balance. It had been remade good as new! Maybe even better!

"What else can you do?" Natela asked, her voice a mix of awe and suspicion.

"No sense revealing everything all at once," it replied. "Now come on, I need to tell some friends that I found you."


	2. Reason

**Reason.**

Natela tensed as the gun was drawn from its holster and then pointed directly at her. She'd stared down the barrel of a gun one or twice before, but back then it had always been with the assumption that its wielder would not fire unless she did something stupid. Now, that assumption was reversed. Staying still and doing what was expected of her was about to get her killed.

And then it did.

One moment she was nervous almost to the point of tears, and the next, there was a jolt and everything was different. She could see up and down and _everywhere_ all at once. But she couldn't feel anything! She couldn't talk, or blink her eyes, or even move! At the edges of her "vision" she could see her Ghost expanded around her… holding on to her. It was disorienting and terrifying, but it only lasted a couple of seconds. She stiffened again as she was enveloped in light… and then she was back to being her whole self once more. Still thoroughly in a panic, Natela threw herself hard into the nearby padded wall and scrambled to her feet as best she could.

"It's all right, you're ok, try and keep calm," her shooter said to her. "Come on, shake it off. We've all been dead before… and now so have you."

"And… and that's what it feels like… out there?" Natela asked as she fought down her emotions.

"Yes, mostly," combat instructor Trii said after putting away her weapon. "Of course, what you just experienced was a clean headshot. The enemy isn't often so kind."

"Right…" Natela said softly. "Just once today, right? I can go now?" she asked, her voice making it clear that she might break down and cry if the answer was a no.

"Of course. The first time is always hard. You officially have the rest of the day off, and the weekend to recover. If you'll take some advice, when you think about it, because you _will_, try to think of it as a technological process. Anything else will tie you in knots…"

Natela just nodded.

"Hey, you did better than most…" instructor Trii called after her as she slipped out the door.

Natela walked quickly down the hall, towards the closest women's locker room, studiously ignoring every tech, maintance worker, and Guardian she passed along the way. She was sure each and every one of them could see right through her, right through the facade of calm she was barely hanging on to. Inside, things weren't any better. She'd hoped for an empty room, but it wasn't to be. There were a handful of Guardians in varoius states of undress, changing or inspecting their gear, leaving her no place to be alone. A tall one, dressed in Warlock robes, pushed past her on her way to the door. Deciding it was more awkward to stand and fret, Natela moved to her locker began undoing her own armor. There were straps and zippers and buttons all over her flexible leather suit, holding it tight against her skin. Finding them all had been a problem at first, now the problem was keeping her hands steady enough to undo them all.

"Tough time out there?" a blue skinned Titan asked while checking her helmet. Natela wondered if it was as heavy as it looked, then quickly replied with another one of her uneasy nods.

"We all have those days. Be brave, you'll get through it," the Awoken said before she too moved towards the exit.

'_Be brave_…' That seemed to be a motto around The Tower. Natela sat down to pull off her boots then sighed… She'd been trying to 'be brave' for the past two months and hadn't gotten very far with it. Her heart just wasn't in it. Oh sure, she'd learned a whole lot ever since leaving her life on the streets behind. She'd studied constantly, learning about enemies and tactics and protocols. She'd been drilled endlessly. She could now shoot and dodge and throw her knife at a target several meters away… But the thought of going beyond the walls of The City… of fighting the aliens she'd only seen in combat footage… It unnerved her. Hell, being killed and brought back just moments ago had been unsettling enough, and that had been done in a special room, with a friendly, reassuring instructor, all on top of hundreds of previous assurances that it would all work.

Her Ghost chirped, still buried in its holding place within one of her armor's pockets, spurring her back into action. It was nearly time to pick up Luminita.

"Ok, I've got it," Natela said, silencing the alarm.

Out of everything, her younger sister had been the one true light in her life. Luminita was in school now, learning things and making friends. Even better, she was looking far more healthy that she had in years. They both were, actually, but Luminita especially. On the street, between her occasional, strange bouts of sickness and neither of them knowing when they'd next their next meal… she'd been in pretty bad shape. Now though, she almost glowed in comparison to how she'd been before. That, if nothing else, Natela mused, made all the rest of it bearable. She finished changing into her, comfortable, properly fitting street clothes… something she'd never thought she'd have just two months ago… and headed out. She swung by the small cafeteria style space on her way out, paid for a single nutrient bar while covertly pocketing three, then hurried towards the elevator that would take her down to The Tower's ground level. She'd just rounded the last corner between her and the elevator when her Ghost began nagging her again, this time with a much more urgent sound.

"Your sister's school is calling," it began as soon as she pulled it out of her pocket. "Your sister collapsed roughly thirty minutes ago and they haven't been able to revive her. She's being taken to Traveler's Light General as we speak."

"Get me transport, now," Natela ordered as she broke into a run.

"Diverting public transport during Green Level city status is illegal… but that's never stopped you before," her Ghost replied wryly. "I'll have something waiting for you."

Natela cursed as she missed the elevator, but then realized it was probably a blessing in disguise. She burst into the nearby stairwell and, without even thinking about it, flung her self over the railing. There was a certain thrill to it, falling as floor after floor zipped by far faster than any elevator would have. At the last second Natela looked up and _blinked_ upward. The sudden burst of directed speed largely canceled out her downward momentum, reducing what would have been a painful, life threatening impact to merely a heavy but manageable landing. It scared the heck out of a maintenance worker one level above her, though. Sprinting again, Natela emerged on the street in front of The Tower and spotted a frustrated technician yelling at an uncooperative auto-taxi. Realizing it was waiting for her, she charged past him and threw herself into the back seat just as the door opened. The car immediately sped off, leaving the bewildered tech to wonder what had happened.

Twenty minutes later Natela burst into the ER lobby demanding to know the whereabouts of her sister. It took two then three nurses to calm her down and lead her to a seat in the waiting area. They only managed to get away from her with the promise that someone would speak to her soon. That someone turned out to Dr. Eman, a young ER doctor not all that much older than she was.

"Ms. Murk? You're Luminita's sister and guardian, correct?"

"I am," Natela said, standing and shaking his hand, not really sure why she was doing it. "What's happened to my sister, is she hurt?"

"Not… exactly," the doctor told her. He indicated that she should sit, then took a seat across from her before speaking again. "Your sister arrived in a kind of shock. Her body had begun to shutdown due to a rare enzyme deficiency. We've stabilized her for now, but I'm afraid her long term prognosis is… hard to predict."

"What do you mean?"

The young doctor took a deep breath, then explained, "We've seen this condition a few times before but have never cracked what exactly causes it. A patient's key enzyme levels will vary higher and lower over the course of weeks or months or sometimes even years. They might be stable for long stretches, then dip for a few days, and then return to normal. A small dip might show as fatigue or weakness, but a larger drop…"

"Wait…" Natela said. "Would this… she's had poor health all her life. She'd feel bad some days, and get sick… tired mostly… every few months. Once a couple of years ago she got real bad. I thought she was… I thought I was going to lose her. She slept for three days straight but then came out of it." Natela looked down at the floor for a moment then speaking more quietly said, "I don't remember it that well… but I think it's how our mother died."

"It would likely be a genetic condition," Dr. Eman confirmed.

"But Luminita is going to be all right now, isn't she?"

"In the short term, yes," Dr. Eman said. "We can synthesize the enzymes her body needs easily enough. Long term though…" he said, "…the hospital doesn't have the resources to treat her long term. Nobody does."

"But you just said…"

Dr. Eman took a quick glance around the waiting room checking for anyone in earshot. "You're a Guardian, right?" He asked in a hushed tone. "Not Luminita's legal guardian, but an actual Guardian of The City?"

"Yes…" Natela answered, unsure what he was leading up to.

"The only way to synthesize the injections your sister needs is by reprograming Glimmer. The hospital has an emergency supply, some of which we used to stabilize your sister, but now that we know her condition is long term we can't afford to… to waste our supply on someone with a terminal condition. But, if we had…"

"…if there was an outside supply it would be possible to keep her healthy." Natela finished, getting it.

It sounded simple, Natela realized, but the weight of what she'd just suggested pressed down on her, dampening her spirits. She crossed her arms over her chest as she considered the ramifications. Glimmer was essential to The City and to the war effort, that had been drilled into her time and time again over the past two months. A large percentage Guardians found outside the walls was marked for their use in the defense of The City. The rest was doled out in specific, highly controlled amounts. With such limited supplies, too much going to any one industry could be disastrous, or might be used for profiteering… something The City, Humanity itself even, just couldn't afford. Therefore, any unauthorized Glimmer smuggling was considered to be highly illegal. Beyond permanent induced coma style illegal, even.

"I know what I'm asking is… difficult," Dr. Eman said, "but it's your sister's only long term hope."

Natela nodded, but then her hand brushed over the two nutrient bars she'd stolen earlier and she smiled a small smile. "You're right, it is difficult, but that's never stopped me before. I'll do it. Can I see my sister now?"

"Of course, right this way," Dr. Eman replied.

He led her back to one of the emergency triage rooms. Inside, Luminita was awake and responsive. She smiled as she saw her big sister approaching.

"How are you feeling?" Natela asked as she sat in a chair next to her sister's bed.

"Better, I think. My head still hurts though…" She paused then worriedly said, "I don't know what happened…"

"It's ok," Natela replied gently, "I do. It was your sickness again, but the doctors and I think we know how to fix it now." Her sister smiled and Natela smiled back.

Three days later, with her sister recovering at their home, Natela stepped off a FOTC transport in the midst of Old Russia. Before, she'd held back, she'd been afraid. Agreeing to become a Guardian had simply been a way to get her and her sister off the streets. But to actually commit to it, to stop holding back, to put her life on the line… that had taken something more.

Before, she'd needed a reason to go beyond The City's walls.

Now, she had one.


End file.
